Let Chinese athletes gallop on the slopes (Towards the Winter Olympics, We are from the front line)

In the silver-clad ski resort, the waxing room is a warm place, and the waxing artist Yin Zhihui (above. File photo) pick out a jar of snow wax, spread it evenly over the entire snowboard, then pick up the wax iron and carefully iron the snowboard.

Snow wax is to snowboarding what tires are to racing. "Waxing well ensures the smoothness of the snowboard and helps athletes improve their performance." Yin Zhihui said. The 26-year-old waxer will be working on waxing china's snow sports during the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Snowboard waxing is a technical job

Looking back on his work experience in the past 5 years, Yin Zhihui concluded: "Practice makes perfect. He introduced that snowboard waxing is a technical job. Applying snow wax to a snowboard is only a primary operation, but more importantly, analytical skills. "A professional waxer should choose the right snow wax according to the temperature, snow quality and air humidity on the day of the competition." Yin Zhihui said, "There is also a temperature difference between the yin and yang sides of the snow slope, and the waxer should carry out strain treatment according to the characteristics of the snow track. "Waxers have to complete a number of processes such as clearing, drying, ironing, brushing, etc., before waxing." These processes are sloppy and directly related to the final waxing effect. Yin Zhihui said.

In 2017, Yin Zhihui followed the foreign waxing team and experienced the training of the World Cup and the World Championships. "Learning how to wax and how to test with them broadened my horizons and accumulated a lot of experience." Yin Zhihui said. This experience made Yin Zhihui harvest full, and he also found his own set of waxing techniques through continuous testing and research.

In order to improve the waxing technology, at the beginning of the test, Yin Zhihui had to wax one or twenty pairs of snowboards a day, and it took 8-12 hours to work until a perfect pair of snowboards was handed over to the athletes.

Waxers are the heroes behind the scenes

Before becoming a waxer, Yin Zhihui was an alpine skier. Years of snow sports experience, let him have a deeper understanding of the slopes. From the front of the stage to the backstage, Yin Zhihui has always maintained his love for ice and snow sports. "Waxers are behind-the-scenes heroes and I love my profession." Looking at a pair of treated snowboards, Yin Zhihui said proudly.

The change of career has not been smooth. At first, due to his shallow qualifications, Yin Zhihui had little opportunity to wax the athletes in the event. "Waxing is about athletes' performance and final results, and they usually choose a waxer they trust to complete this important task." Yin Zhihui said.

By chance, Yin Zhihui received a waxing invitation from an athlete friend. He cherished this opportunity and made full use of the knowledge and techniques he had accumulated during his daily life. In the end, stepping on the snowboard waxed by Yin Zhihui, this friend achieved a good result of 5 gold and 1 silver, and the previously unknown Yin Zhihui suddenly became famous in the circle.

Today, Yin Zhihui is a technically mature waxing engineer who provides waxing services to many athletes in various snow events, and his experience and skills are deeply trusted by athletes. "I feel very accomplished when athletes step on my waxed snowboards and achieve great results." Yin Zhihui said.

After work, Yin Zhihui often goes to the snow field to feel the charm of ice and snow sports. Now the identity of the waxer makes Yin Zhihui have an "occupational disease", "When I was an athlete, I pursued skiing speed; now when skiing, I will unconsciously observe the snow quality of the field, observe the humidity and temperature around me." ”

Helping athletes compete in the Winter Olympics

In Yin Zhihui's view, a small waxing room has witnessed the rapid development of ice and snow sports in China. "In the past, when I was an athlete, waxing was arranged in a makeshift tent, coached, and the athletes waxed themselves; such a professional snow wax car and waxing room as now, we didn't even dare to think about it at that time." Yin Zhihui said.

In countries where skiing is developed, the team of waxers is very professional, basically two athletes are equipped with a full-time waxer. Most skiing projects start late in the country, and waxers are even more scarce.

"When I studied abroad before, I learned that some foreign sports teams are equipped with professional waxing teams of 4-8 people, and the waxing conditions are even more enviable." Looking back on the past, Yin Zhihui said excitedly: "I didn't expect that in just a few years, the Chinese waxing team has made so much progress. In the Beijing Winter Olympics, Chinese athletes can also have the services of professional waxers. ”

The opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics is just around the corner, looking at the snowboard in his hand, Yin Zhihui said with confidence: "I am very proud to be able to participate in the world's top ice and snow events at my doorstep, and I will provide high-quality waxing services for Chinese athletes to help them play perfectly and achieve excellent results." ”

(Intern Guo Hongyuan participated in the writing)

People's Daily (2022-01-27 11th edition)